June 30, 2011

There is no doubt that the Land Bank should be fully funded. It should be considered a central key to South Carolina’s future, both environmentally and economically.

As our state’s population continues to expand over the next decades, it is absolutely critical that as much open space be preserved as possible. Not only should the Conservation Bank be given its full $12 million in funding, the fund amount should be tripled from its current level.

The longer we wait to preserve these lands, the less of them there will be to preserve, and it will also become much more expensive to do so the future. Now is the time to be moving forcefully ahead with our state’s Conservation Bank.

October 1, 2009

Forget “Cap and Trade” and “Climate Change Legislation”. What we are really talking about are taxes on fossil fuel energy consumption. And taxes on fossil fuel consumption are exactly what we need in order for our state to prosper in the coming decades.

South Carolina currently imports $14 billion in oil and $10 billion in coal a year. That, my friends, is a chunk of change. It is a huge drag on our economy and a problem that will only get worse. The time has long past for action on this issue.

What our primary focus should be is how to get those numbers down. The sooner we start thinking about energy independence as a state, and actually implementing a plan, the better off we will be. The state that produces all of its own energy is going to be the state that is strongest and most competitive in the global marketplace.

Higher taxes on imported fossil fuels are necessary to fund our transition to in-state produced sources of energy. To all of you short term thinkers out there, get out of the way.

September 26, 2009

South Carolina is “in a race” for a 45 million dollar test facility for super size wind turbines to be funded by the federal government. Other states on the track are Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan.

Oh, to win this race. It is imperative that South Carolina become energy independent as soon as possible, and such a facility could act as a catapult in that direction. But I wonder which state will win the race. Do we really think it will be the state from which a congressman(and I do use that term loosely), at a joint session of our nation’s congress, shouted out “you lie” at the chief executive?

Though it would be a really great thing for our state, I am not holding my breath.

September 24, 2009

Let’s see, South Carolina tax dollars being spent to pay individuals to lobby for state institutions of higher learning. I can certainly see where federal and state money is getting harder to come by these days, but I also wonder why the board of directors are not stepping up and taking on that role. Isn’t that one of their tasks traditionally? Perhaps instead of spending eighty to a hundred thousand dollars a year on a lobbyist, these institutions should tell their board members to get it in gear, or step aside and make room on the board for people who can get the job done. Why, with the savings, the schools could probably pay for three or four more professors.

June 14, 2009

The recent news that the global air industry faces a 9 billion dollar loss for 2009 tells us that the air industry will be going through massive changes in the coming years and a comprehensive plan to position our state to handle this change needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later.

I have already outlined a plan for a centralized airport hub in our state in a post dated 12/13/08, with the rest of the state being connected with high speed rail lines.

We can’t get direct flights from our three airports and it is killing us with bringing prospective business to the region.

It’s either get on such a plan soon or have Charlotte and Atlanta split the state for our air travel business, crippling South Carolina commerce and tourism.

May 24, 2009

The pay day lending industry in our state are bottom feeders. They charge upwards of 400% interest on their loans. They fray the base of our society and make our state weaker.

When I read that they have a strong lobby within our state’s legislature I am sickened. Any politician defending these bottom feeders should be run out of office and out of our state too, as far as I’m concerned.

Loaning money in our state should be capped at 30% above prime, a return any real investor would be more than happy to get. The present plan to unnecessarily expand government by implementing a state run pay day loan tracking database should be scrapped.

May 17, 2009

Some thirteen months ago, my wife and I were lucky enough to purchase a house on a lot of about a third of an acre. It came with a mature pecan tree in the front yard, from which last summer we didn’t get any pecans, but we cleared off the many vines growing up into it and we’re hopeful that this year we will get some production out of it.

Other than the pecan tree, we have planted an apple tree(a hot weather variety), a blueberry bush, grapevines, and a 4′ by 20′ vegetable garden.

My wife is calling this our homestead year, and let me tell you we are thankful to be able to head out to the grocer, because otherwise we would be starving right now.

No but really, we are having moderate success so far, and we are looking forward to having a lot of tomatos, onions, squash and cantalopes this summer, and maybe pecans.

I am treating my urban lot as a homestead because it is the conservative thing to do. It saves my family money and saves a small percentage on produce that would otherwise be imported from out of state. Oh, I suppose I could be spending that time out water skiing, but water skiing is hardly an activity of someone calling themselves a conservative, now is it?